White House says Trump plans early summit departure

Trump was joined by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Adviser John Bolton, and John Kelly, White House Chief of Staff, for the expanded talks, while Kim's team included former military intelligence chief Kim Yong Chol, foreign minister Ri Yong Ho and Ri Su Yong, vice chairman of the ruling Workers' Party.

Wearing a marijuana cryptocurrency t-shirt, dark sunglasses, and a "Make America Great Again" hat, Rodman told CNN he is "just happy to be a part of it because I think I deserve it".

After taking their seats in a room where they will hold their first meeting of the day, the president briefly engaged in a question from a reporter who asked him how he was feeling.

Tuesday marked the first meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.

Pompeo said the U.S.is prepared to offer "unique" security guarantees to North Korea to ensure that eliminating its nuclear weapons won't end badly for Kim's regime.

The US President is reportedly spending a bit more time with PM Lee today - two hours of talks and a working lunch together with government officials from respective countries, according to Channel NewsAsia.

Donald Trump then guided Kim Jong-un to the library where the one-on-one meeting was to take place. The president wants the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of his nuclear weapons program.

Still, the sense of anticipation was great in Singapore, with people lining spotless streets holding cellphones high as Trump headed to meet Lee.

Even before the two leaders were anywhere near each other, you can already see Mr Trump stretching out his hand - ready perhaps, to execute that famous grip he's known for.

"There will be challenges ahead", Kim said, but he vowed to work with Trump.

With Trump, however, Rodman said, things changed because he understood that people of North Korea have a heart and a soul.

It was not immediately clear what specific progress, if any, had been made in preliminary discussions between U.S. and North Korean officials.

This combination of file photos show U.S. President Donald Trump, left, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on May 16, 2018, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a meeting in North Korea, in the photo provided on May 18, 2018.

Setting out the U.S. position before the summit, Pompeo stressed that the Trump administration would only accept complete denuclearisation of the North.

Pompeo laid out some of the US cards on Monday, saying the administration was sticking to its demand for the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the North.

But a war would mean devastating casualties, including of American troops in South Korea, and American cities would also be at risk of suffering a nuclear strike because of the North's recent advances.